The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 15, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

The latest and best Stewart/Riddell collaboration to date is set in a pseudo-Victorian world of stovepipe hats, gamins and smog. Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad by trade: Need a delivery as fast as possible? Barnaby is more than willing to high-stack it over the tops of the city just to send your message fast enough. One night, a near-miss with a nasty wolf on a roof during the light of the full moon and the mysterious disappearance of his friend Old Benjamin together convince Barnaby to investigate the seedy sections of his city and the even seedier secrets of high society. As a mystery, the book telegraphs its punches too obviously, but as an adventure tale it swoops and soars. The classic horror aspects of this werewolf tale may be a bit dark for younger readers, but for any kid who has enjoyed The Spiderwick Chronicles and their like, Stewart offers high-stepping exploits and derring-do aplenty. From the first gripping sentence onward, Barnaby will be sure to rake in the fans. (Horror. 9-12)

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